FILE- In this Oct 2, 2018, file photo, a for sale sign stands outside a home on the market in the north Denver suburb of Thornton, Colo. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index for November is released. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

US home price gains slowed in November

January 29, 2019 - 9:01 am

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose at a slower pace in November, as sales have tumbled and affordability has deteriorated for many would-be buyers.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index grew 4.7 percent from a year earlier, dropping off from a 5 percent annual increase in October.

Home sales drifted downward for much of 2018, causing homes to sit on the market longer and price growth to slip. Buyers have found it difficult to afford a home due to a shortage of properties at a median price of roughly $250,000, last year's rising mortgage rates and roughly six years of home price growth exceeding wage gains.

The Las Vegas metro area posted the largest price gains at 12 percent, followed by Phoenix at 8.1 percent and Seattle at 6.3 percent.